Summer prereqs

[RTC19]

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I have heard that summer prereqs are not a good idea if avoidable. I don't know if it's the type of thing where just one is okay/just don't do it more than once and you're fine or if it's something to avoid even if it sets you back a bit. I ask because I will have more time to study for the MCAT if I take a summer prereq (Biochemistry).

I am applying DO and possibly lower-tier MD.

 

[KnightDoc]

I have heard that summer prereqs are not a good idea if avoidable. I don't know if it's the type of thing where just one is okay/just don't do it more than once and you're fine or if it's something to avoid even if it sets you back a bit. I ask because I will have more time to study for the MCAT if I take a summer prereq (Biochemistry).

I am applying DO and possibly lower-tier MD.

Any benefit you receive from a higher MCAT score will far outweigh any negative attached to a summer prereq. I also don't think it's a negative like an online or CC class might be. A bigger issue might be that it's tougher to do well due to the compressed time frame to learn the material, and then there's a negative if the class doesn't cover all the material due to the time constraint. In any event, one class is definitely not going to make or break an application, so do what works best for you. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Any benefit you receive from a higher MCAT score will far outweigh any negative attached to a summer prereq. I also don't think it's a negative like an online or CC class might be. A bigger issue might be that it's tougher to do well due to the compressed time frame to learn the material, and then there's a negative if the class doesn't cover all the material due to the time constraint. In any event, one class is definitely not going to make or break an application, so do what works best for you. Just my 2 cents.

This is really well said. If you get a 515 on the MCAT, does it really matter if you took physics over two separate summers or biology at a CC? (I did both of those things and ended up with the 2015+ equivalent of a 519, yes, I am old).

Just be aware that it might be a little more noteworthy if you end up with a score near the top of the bell curve. Adcoms may unfairly see a below average or average score and wonder if there's a corrolation.

All in all, it's a decision by decision basis. I started off at a CC which I explained using the cost savings as this wasn't far from the Great Recession. Physics didn't have a great reason (all the non summer physics classes included a Friday). Thankfully, nobody asked

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
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